Oil, Slick

My new favorite face cleanser is 100% organic, hand-crafted, and dirt-cheap. It's Olsen Naturals Almond Cleansing Oil, and it cost me just $7 at the Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis.

Oil cleansers aren't new, but I became intrigued by the idea of using oil to clean my face last winter, after I saw a bottle of DHC Deep Cleansing Oil on my Aunt (by marriage) Billie's bathroom counter. Billie is well into her 60s and has gorgeous, clear skin, so I started digging into the different options. First, I came across a web site called The Oil Cleansing Method, which gives instructions on how to create and use your own oil-based cleanser. Then I tried a sample of Nude Skincare's Cleansing Facial Oil. (It's perfectly lovely, but at $52, more than I want to spend on a cleanser.) So I was excited to discover Denise Olsen's equally lovely (and much more affordable) version this summer.

Since then, I've been inundated—in a good way—with oil: An email arrived in my in-box touting Molton Brown's trio of limited-edition facial oils, designed to be used as moisturizing night treatments. (I've been using the Hungarian Wild Carrot Revitalizing Facial Oil, $58, on nights when I don't use my oil cleanser.)

I've also tried suki's organic oil formulations ($29.95), including pure facial moisture-balancing and pure facial moisture-nourishing, and delicate hydrating oil ($24.95) for the body. (I love the fact that these oils are organic, but I'm not crazy about the scents.)

What's the difference between an oil cleanser and an oil moisturizer? Not much, to be honest. One you use with water and then wipe off; the other you leave on your face. And as the weather turns colder, both are excellent daily options for everyone. "I like oil cleansers for all skin types," says dermatologist Jordana S. Gilman, M.D. "They help break up and wash away excess oil for people with oily skin, and they are gentle and won't dehydrate people with dry or sensitive skin."

If you've always thought of oil as something you need to clean off of your skin, it does require a shift in thinking to start using it to clean and moisturize your face. But try it, and you'll be rewarded with soft, clean skin.